That’s MR Shaodow to you!

When you fuse martial arts with the sounds of Hip Hop, the first thing that may spring to mind is the Staten Island Hip Hop collective ‘The Wu Tang Clan’. Who are one of the pioneers of Hip Hop and are still making their presence felt all over the world today.

But now crossing back over to the UK shores, with 2 video releases titled ‘Look Out There’s A Black Man Coming’ and ‘Back 2 Da Drawing Board’ which are soon to be aired on ‘Channel U’ and ‘MTV Base’, Mr Shaodow proves that he has the skills and rhymes to make it in the UK hip hop game.

Mr Shaodow born Elliott Haslam plans to invite us into his world with his unique mix of martial arts and skilful rhyme schemes that stays on point. He formed the name Mr Shaodow by combining two elements which he thought linked well which are his love for Shaolin Kung Fu and his silhouette. With residences in Catford, Brixton and Oxford, Mr Shaodow decided to embark on a mission to become a talented new comer in the game back in 2006.

With Mr Shaodow being a new entrant in the UK hip hop scene, he has so far proved that there is a gap to be filled for another talented MC.

“Every song has to be unique, sometimes I’ll will flow like water, sometimes fire, sometimes wind, its best to hear the material but at the end of the day its more to me than a little bit of fame or money this is my art and so I’m going to try and spit artistically”.

His first single 'Look Out There’s A Black Man Coming' is a track which elucidates the institutionalised racism that is still a major affair today. The video for the track demonstrates what a black man would sometimes go through on a day to day basis. Mr Shaodow creates his own both music and videos alongside his producer ‘Spectral’ from ‘Elements Bound’ and his personal label ‘2econd Wind Productions’ and regularly spends some of his free time organising and performing at hip hop events in Oxford where he is currently studying for his Business and Law degree.

When asked about his type of rap style, Mr Shaodow replied;

“My style represents me, at the same time it’s truthful. I hesitate to say 'real' because everything is real, gun talk and crime is real. I just try to be as truthful as possible; the songs I write will be about a wide range of issues that people can relate to including work, racism and the UK music scene”

Mr Shadow feels that his music is first and foremost influenced by God; his musical influences include old greats such as Barry White and James Brown. He also enjoys popular Hip Hop artists such as Ludacris, Scarface and The Wu Tang Clan, who have all motivated him to create his music.

When it comes to the sounds of UK ‘urban’ music, there is one music artist that Mr Shaodow admires when it come to putting in work, as he explains;

“I would rate Sway; I really admire how much he’s done so far especially seeing as he is an unsigned artist. I think that is the best way to do things these days, well at least for me anyway”

Mr Shaodow explains to TSM that even though its good to have the financial backing from a major record label, at some point they are going to want what ever they put in, back. Shaodow states that “signing to a major label hampers an artist’s creativity”; he also feels that most major labels often dictate to artists what they can or cannot release, which leaves them more or less powerless in the decision making process.

Speaking on his collective 'Elements Bound', Mr Shaodow explains that the group all had to learn to be totally self-reliant in whatever missions they embark on, i.e an element in their own right. He feels that every artist in the rap game should have their fingers in as many “pies” as possible for them to be a success. Mr Shaodow is certainly backing up this statement by not only sticking to music, but also diversifying into different regions by releasing his own clothing line and embarking on a few other projects that will hopefully raise his status in the game.

Mr Shaodow will be releasing his debut album titled ‘That’s MR Shaodow to you’ later next year, or in his own words;

“the album will be released when I feel it’s ready!”

Myspace: www.myspace.com/mrshaodow

Words by: Leon B